WiC Watches: The Good Place season 4

THE GOOD PLACE — “Whenever You’re Ready” Episode 413/414 — Pictured: (l-r) William Jackson Harper as Chidi, Kristen Bell as Eleanor — (Photo by: Colleen Hayes/NBC)

Series Finale: “Whenever You’re Ready”

Obviously, this one hurt. Even though everyone got a happy ending, it still hurt. Because have an ending at all hurts, because you’re losing something, even if it’s the right thing to do. I’m not at a place yet where I can calmly let go like Chidi or Jason. I’m more like Eleanor the first time she tries to go through the door; I want to praise the show for ending on a high note, but at the moment I just wish there were a season 5 on the way.

Maybe I could distract myself with pedantry. What exactly happened after Eleanor went through the doorway at the end of the universe? Did her life essence turn into a warm glowing wisp of light that made that dude do the right thing and give Michael his mail? (Addressed to “Michael Realman” — awesome.) Is that what happens to people when they’re done? They’ve lived good lives and then they put good back into the world, a wave becoming water in the ocean?

Dude, I don’t know, and that’s the point. It would have been ridiculous for the show to try and give a definitive answer to that question. As Eleanor points out the Janet, the mystery is part of the point. There is no Answer, but there are lots of answers. The characters found the ones that mattered to them. Jason, purely by accident, became the contemplative monk he was forced to be in the first season. Chidi got over his indecision, and when the time came, he was able to make his final choice with ease, even if he was too nice to leave before Eleanor came around on letting him go.

And Eleanor, selfish Eleanor, became someone who lived to help the people she cared for until she was ready for the next step. It was all done perfectly, with the right balance of light and dark, so a tear-jerking moment was never very far away from a laugh. Watching Chidi walk through the door was hard, but the sexy nerd calendar he left for Eleanor was epic. If NBC doesn’t sell copies of those, I’m sure fans will labor until they exist.

I was surprised at the resolution to Tahani’s story, though. I almost feel cheated, although I can buy that someone as ambitious as her wasn’t satisfied with just mastering every mortal art she could; of course she would find another option. And I’m sure that when she’s ready, she’ll walk through the door, too.

THE GOOD PLACE — “Whenever You’re Ready” Episode 413/414 — Pictured: (l-r) Jameela Jamil as Tahani, Ted Danson as Michael — (Photo by: Colleen Hayes/NBC)

A lot of shows are funny. That includes pretty much every Michael Schur show, but I can’t think of many others that so pointedly explore what it means to live a good life, and maybe even gives us suggestions on how to do it. This is one of the most ambitious shows on TV, sitcom or otherwise. I almost feel inspired by The Good Place to try and create more of a utopia here on Earth, a place where human beings are given the freedom to act on their best instincts. Of course we can’t “make” anyone good, but we can try to create an environment where it’s easier for them to get there on their own.

Or at least, that’s what I feel like The Good Place is trying to tell us. I love this show not just because it’s great TV, but because it has things to say about life in general. I hate to see it walk through the final door at the edge of existence, but I love to watch it leave.

The Good Bullet Points

• “You’re sad. I can tell because you have the same looks on your faces that my teachers did whenever I raised my hand in class.”
• Chidi’s hop dance at Jason’s goodbye party. That was something else.
• The weirdest thing on Tahani’s afterlife to-do list is definitely beating NBA Jam on all-star. Maybe she and Jason played it together at some point in the last eternity? I also would have liked to see “burp the alphabet.”
• Good on Tahani for dropping a few last names for the road. I’m sure B and J will get over her leaving, somehow.
• “I hooked up with Alexander the Great and it was more like Alexander the fine.” I’m glad John and Simone got into the Good Place. And there may be hope for Brent in a few thousand more Jeremy Bearimy.
• “Did you see The Tempest 2: Here We Blow Again?”
• “You even picked the ideal weather: overcast and chilly. Perfect for staying inside and reading.”
• “I’m really glad I filmed you having sex.” Glad to see Mindy St. Claire (and Derek) one last time. The finale did a great job of dropping in cameos without making the whole thing feel like fan service.
• “A calm has washed over me, blah blah blah.”

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